Jay Z’s artist-owned streaming service, Tidal, and Sprint announced a new partnership Monday that will give the company’s 45 million customers unlimited access to Tidal, including exclusive content.
In the deal, the telecommunications company acquired a 33 percent stake in Tidal; Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure will join Tidal’s board of directors. A source familiar with the deal told Billboard that Sprint paid $200 million for its stake in the company and that Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and the company’s two dozen artist-owners – Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Coldplay, to name a few – will remain part owners.
“Sprint shares our view of revolutionizing the creative industry to allow artists to connect directly with their fans and reach their fullest, shared potential,” Jay Z said in a statement. “Marcelo understood our goal right away, and together we are excited to bring Sprint’s 45 million customers an unmatched entertainment experience.”
As part of the partnership, Sprint will establish a dedicated marketing fund specifically for Tidal artists that will afford them “the flexibility to create and share their work with and for their fans.”
Exclusive content has bolstered the fledgling, often-maligned service, and 2016 was the company’s biggest year yet.
Rihanna worked with Samsung to create an immersive mobile experience called the ANTIdiary, in which users explore multiple rooms that trace the pop star’s life story. The collaboration between the pop star and the tech giant culminated in the gift of download codes for “Anti,” which was supposed to be a surprise release but mistakenly went up on Tidal a few hours early.
Despite giving away 1 million copies for free, which wouldn’t count toward chart placement per Billboard’s rules, and the technical glitch that saw Tidal leak its own exclusive, “Anti” hit No. 1. Shortly afterward, Kanye West used Tidal for the unconventional launch of his latest, “The Life of Pablo.”
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